5 Reasons Why Your Ideas Suck!

So you have the next big idea. So what? Think about how many billions of people there are in the world. Then think about the idea you’re looking to sell and multiply it by the number of people in this world and ask yourself: what’s going to make your idea stand out?

If your big idea isn’t getting made its probably because you’re not Steve Jobs. Maybe you were lucky enough to make it into a pitch, only to have it torn and picked apart. For started, that’s life. What matters is how you improve your self and learn from these mistakes.

But to help you get to where you need to be now, here are 5 unconventional tips to help you deliver knockout idea pitches to bosses or clients:

1. Meet decision makers where they are, not where you are. You’ve worked on your idea for months. You know it intimately. So before preparing your pitch ask your self: what does my decision maker know/not know about my idea, and why should s/he care? Be as detailed as possible in your answers and you will have the foundation of an amazing presentation.

2. Learn it. Forget it. Play it. Like I said above, you know the material better than anyone else. Learn your presentation, practice it, internalize it and exhale. Now present it in a natural, conversational style. Don’t read your slides, but connect and talk to your audience. The audience will interrupt and ask you questions, so the better you know the material and the more relaxed you are, the better you can handle any situation with confidence and poise.

3. Hurl pencils from the tower. Don’t do what Anton-Wolfgang von Faber-Castell does and drink a shot of marker ink to prove your ink is safe, add a drama to your presentation. Clarify your idea by showcasing your idea. Seeing is believing, and believing is seeing.

4. Dress a chair. Remember who your end-user is. Dress a chair with a briefcase and blazer, or surfboard and shorts. When your audience says “Well I personally wouldn’t….” you can simply say, “I might not either, but here’s our end-user, and research shows it’s just right for them.”

5. Everybody’s got a game plan until they get hit. Prepare for the hit. Go through your presentation and find where there could be objections, and then plan for them. If they don’t think the color is right, well what other options are available? Are costs too high? Well then what areas are there to potentially lower manufacturing costs? Know the answers to the questions before they get asked. It will keep you confident and show you know exactly what you’re talking about.

Remember, the more prepared you are, the more confident you will be. Just knowing that you’re prepared will help you deliver a strong, more convincing presentation.